Weft inserter drive means safety device of a shuttleless loom

ABSTRACT

A weft inserter safety device and driving means for a shuttleless loom of the kind including at least one weft inserter which is driven by a belt or like element which is fixed by its ends to stationary parts of the loom and which passes over rollers of the weft inserter, including a micro switch associated with the belt and with an electrical circuit including a relay and a cut-out. The micro switch serves, when rendered operative by malfunctioning of the belt, to interrupt the circuit and thus stop the loom. The cut-out is so arranged to require actuation after correction of the malfunctioning, requiring a re-setting operation of the electrical circuit before the loom can be restarted.

United States Patent [191 Remond 154] WEFT INSERTER DRIVE MEANS SAFETY DEVICE OF A SHUTTLELESS LOOM [75] Inventor: Pierre Remond, Bourgoin-Jallieu,

France [52] U.S. Cl. ..139/336, 139/122 R [51] Int. Cl. ..D03d 51/18 [58} Field ofSearch ..l39/122*127, 336, 110

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Darienzo ..139/336 Palmer et al. ..139/l10 May 22, 1973 Cutting ..l39/336 Bellmar ..l39/336 [57] ABSTRACT A weft inserter safety device and driving means for a shuttleless loom of the kind including at least one weft inserter which is driven by a belt or like element which is fixed by its ends to stationary parts of the loom and which passes over rollers of the weft inserter, including a micro switch associated with the belt and with an electrical circuit including a relay and a cut-out. The micro switch serves, when rendered operative by malfunctioning of the belt, to interrupt the circuit and thus stop the loom. The cut-out is so arranged to require actuation after correction of the malfunctioning, requiring a re-setting operation of the electrical circuit before the loom can be re-started.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures WEFT INSERTER DRIVE MEANS SAFETY DEVICE OF A SHUTTLELESS LOOM This invention concerns weft inserter drive means in shuttleless looms and particularly shuttleless looms wherein the weft inserter or inserters serving to lay the weft in the shed are propelled by means of a belt or the like which carries out an alternating rectilinear motion and is guided over roller means.

More particularly, although not exclusively the invention concerns the weft inserter drive of looms fitted with telescopic weft inserters which, basically, consist of an outer needle like element and a carrier needlelike element, these two elements being telescopically movable, under the control of the belt whose ends are fixed. In such an arrangement the belt is connected at one point along its length to the carrier needle element. The belt also passes over rollers whose axles are carried by the outer needle-like element.

In a system such as that described briefly above the control allows for one weft insertion motion to have one traverse of the control members reduced by a factor of one half.

An object of the present invention is to provide a safety device adapted to cause automatic stoppage of the loom in, for example, the case in which the belt breaks; becomes permanently stretched, or is caused to momentarily stop by malfunctioning of the system.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electrical system for re starting the loom after correction of a fault in the weft insertion drive means.

Thus according to the present invention there is provided a weft inserter safety device for the device of a shuttleless loom whose weft inserter or inserters, which lay the weft in the shed, are controlled by a belt passing over return rollers, with the belt having its ends connected to a fixed point of the loom, and characterized by the provision of an electric microswitch located at a position below the belt in the circuitry of the fixing point thereof, the micro switch being held inoperative by the belt when the tension thereof is normal, and being rendered operative when belt tension is relaxed so as to thereby cause stoppage of the loom.

Preferably there is provided in conjunction with the micro switch an electrical circuit including a relay which when the micro switch is rendered operative is closed and remains automatically in the circuit to prevent restarting of the loom, there being a cut out in the circuit adapted to prevent re starting of the loom even after the correction of the mal-functioning and the rendering inoperative of the micro switch, until such cut out is re set.

The invention will be readily understood by reference to the attached schematic drawing, given by way of example only, which illustrates a weft inserter drive means made in accordance with the invention.

in the drawings:

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the assembly of the inventive safety device in the retracted and extended positions, respectively, of the needle.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show, on a larger scale, part of an electrical circuit including a micro switch used in conjunction with the drive means, respectively, in positions of normal functioning of the loom and in the position as-' sumed upon slackening of the belt, and

FIG. 5 shows an electrical circuit for normal functioning shown in FIG. 3.

As can be seen from the drawings the weft inserter includes an outer needle-like element 1 adapted to carry out an alternating rectilinear movement controlled by a push-rod-crank-lever system, described in detail hereinbelow. The needle-like element 1 is provided with rollers 2 whose axles 3 are carried by this needle-like element 1 adjacent its ends.

A belt 4 co-operates with the rollers 2 and one end of this belt 4 is attached to a fixed point 5 on the frame 30 of the loom. The other end of this belt 4 is secured, for example by an adhesive, to an inner needle-like element 7 at one end region 6 thereof. The end region 6 of the inner needle-like element 7 will have a speed double that of the outer needle-like element 1 which allows, for a weft insertion movement of the weft inserter, the distance moved by the inner needle-like element 7 to be reduced by a factor of one half.

According to the invention a micro switch 8 is provided, this switch 8 being provided with a feeler 10 which is spring loaded so they tend to become located in a raised position relative to the micro switch 8. The feeler 10 is located below the horizontal run of the belt 4.

A fixed return contact stud 9 is located in a position below the level of the horizontal run of the belt, 4 so that under the effect of the tension to which the belt 4 is normally subjected it exerts a permanent pressure on the feeler 10 to resist the action of the spring loading thereof. When the feeler 10 is held by the belt 4 its contacts are in an open position. Under conditions in which the belt 4 stretches the finger 10 rises under the action of the spring force, which is conveniently located within the micro switch 8 to close the switch contacts.

The electrical circuitry, of which the micro switch 8 forms a part, is shown in FIG. 5. The circuit consists of:

a cut-out 12,

a transformer 13,

a control box 14 having a stop 19, an operating stop 21, and a step-by-step impulse switch 22.

a motor 15,

a contact maker 16,

a relay 17 with contacts 18 and 20,

a pilot light 23.

In operation, when the cut-out 12 is in the closed po sition the transformer 13 is fed with current which allows the control of the motor 15 driving the various parts of the loom, via the contact-maker 16, by means of the control box 14.

If the belt 4 stretches, breaks or otherwise malfunctions, the feeler 10 of the micro switch 8 lifts and closes the control circuit of the relay 17 fed by the transformer 13. Closing the contact 20 causes the contact 18 to open and this effectively has the same function as the stop button 19, that is motor 15 is stopped and a brake (not shown) is applied to stop the loom.

Closing the contact 20 simultaneously automatically actuates the circuit to the relay l7 and this has the effect of making it impossible to restart the loom by closing the manually operated continuous operation switch 21 or by operating the impulses switch 22. The inability to restart the loom even when the cause of the malfunctioning has been remedied and the finger 10 has been depressed by the belt 4 remains even though the micro switch 8 has been re'opened.

The pilot light 23 likewise remains illuminated.

In order to restart the loom it is necessary to operate the cut-out 12 so as to close it, whereupon the relay 17 returns to the position of rest.

Restarting the loom thus necessitates, on the part of the operator, an operation of a specialized character, after the cause of the malfunction has been removed by effecting repair necessitated by the stretching or breakage of the belt 4.

The reciprocating movement of the outer weft inserting needle-like element 1 is effected in the following manner (FIGS. 1 and 2):

Mounted on the frame 30 of the loom is a drive shaft 31 carrying a crank plate 32 having handle 33 to which is secured a link 34. The link 34, in turn, is secured at point 35 to an arm 36a of a crank lever 36. The crank lever is pivotally mounted on a fixed shaft 37 carried by the frame 30, another arm 36b of the lever being pivotally connected at point 38 to a link 39, the latter of which is pivotally connected at point 40 to a suitable connecting member 41 carried by the outer needle-like element 1.

The fixed point ends of the belt is carried by the frame 30. The support axis about which the stud 9 operates is also carried by the frame 30, as well as the housing of microswitch 8, and the shaft of a return roller 42.

It will be appreciated from the description given above that the invention is in no way restricted to the single embodiment described or to the exact assembly details given above by way of example only; and the invention includes all the variations of the embodiment described which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A weft inserter safety device for a shuttleless loom including at least one reciprocating needle-like weft inserter, a belt connected to said weft inserter and to a fixed portion of the frame of said loom for controlling the reciprocating movements of said weft inserter, and roller means associated with said belt and secured to said at least one weft inserter; said safety device comprising a micro switch associated with said belt in proximity to said fixed portion of said loom frame, a feeler for said micro switch contacting said belt for maintaining said switch in an inoperative condition under normal belt tension and being movable to an operative position actuating said switch for stopping said loom upon relaxation of belt tension; a stud fastened to said loom frame, one end region of said belt passing over said stud, resilient means being associated with said feeler for biasing the latter against said belt, said stud being located below a plane defined by a lap of said belt so as to form a guide for said belt facilitating contact between the latter and said feeler under conditions of normal belt tension.

2. A weft inserted safety device as set forth in claim 1 in which there is provided an electrical circuit associated with said micro switch, a relay in said circuit and associated with said micro switch, a cut out associated with said relay, and a loom prime mover associated with said cut out, said resiliently loaded feeler arranged to bear on said belt to hold said micro switch in said inoperative position under normal belt tension, relaxation of belt tension rendering said micro switch operative in response to movement of said feeler to energize said relay and operate said cut out to stop said prime mover and the loom, restarting of said loom necessitating resetting of said cut out after removal of the cause of malfunctioning of said weft inserter and consequent rending inoperative of said micro switch. 

1. A weft inserter safety device for a shuttleless loom including at least one reciprocating needle-like weft inserter, a belt connected to said weft inserter and to a fixed portion of the frame of said loom for controlling the reciprocating movements of said weft inserter, and roller means associated with said belt and secured to said at least one weft inserter; said safety device comprising a micro switch associated with said belt in proximity to said fixed portion of said loom frame, a feeler for said micro switch contacting said belt for maintaining said switch in an inoperative condition under normal belt tension and being movable to an operative position actuating said switch for stopping said loom upon relaxation of belt tension; a stud fastened to said loom frame, one end region of said belt passing over said stud, resilient means being associated with said feeler for biasing the latter against said belt, said stud being located below a plane defined by a lap of said belt so as to form a guide for said belt facilitating contact between the latter and said feeler under conditions of normal belt tension.
 2. A weft inserted safety device as set forth in claim 1 in which there is provided an electrical circuit associated with said micro switch, a relay in said circuit and associated with said micro switch, a cut out associated with said relay, and a loom prime mover associated with said cut out, said resiliently loaded feeler arranged to bear on said belt to hold said micro switch in said inoperative position under normal belt tension, relaxation of belt tension rendering said micro switch operative in response to movement of said feeler to energize said relay and operate said cut out to stop said prime mover and the loom, restarting of said loom necessitating resetting of said cut out after removal of the cause of malfunctioning of said weft inserter and consequent rending inoperative of said micro switch. 